Thin clouds, light fog, and haze made for a bit of a dreary morning. I headed out to the the Shenandoah Valley to look for hawks, harriers, and pipits around Stuart's Draft, but the atmosphere was worse on the west side of the Blue Ridge and I didn't see very much: one Red-tailed Hawk and some White-crowned Sparrows, Blue Jays, Bluebirds, Mourning Doves, and Starlings.
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White-crowned Sparrow
After unsuccessful birding in that area, I headed over to the Rockfish Valley Trail. I arrived a little before noon, and in just over one hour had 22 species, giving me 25 species for the day. Highlights included Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, an American Kestrel, a Palm Warbler, and a leucistic Field Sparrow that caught my attention as I first thought it might be a bunting or longspur.
Leucistic Field Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow that made me think of Willie Nelson :-)
Palm Warbler
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
